5 dolphins rescued, 2 dead after becoming stranded in low tide in Wellfleet

Five dolphins were rescued off the coast of Wellfleet on Saturday after becoming stranded in a low tide, officials with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) said.

Seven common dolphins were reported to be swimming in Duck Creek in Wellfleet at about 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, said Jane Hoppe, an assistant stranding coordinator with IFAW. The area is a common location for dolphins to get stranded due to the extreme and fast-occurring low tides, according to Hoppe. 

Though the dolphins were reported about three and a half hours before the low tide was supposed to come in, the animals started to ground about an hour after they were seen. 

“The tide unfortunately receded very quickly, and that location is also a pretty challenging area for these dolphins to navigate,” Hoppe said. 

When IFAW staff arrived on scene, they discovered that two dolphins had died. A cause of death is not yet known but may be attributed to the stranding event and the “stress and shock” the animals go through during these incidents, Hoppe said. 

The other five dolphins were loaded up into IFAW’s mobile dolphin rescue clinic. After a veterinarian ensured they were healthy, they were taken to Herring Cove in Provincetown for release at about 11 a.m. Saturday. 

“They all swam off pretty well,” Hoppe said. “It was a great day.”

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